


Bendy and the Ink Machine - The Assistant

by demonfire57



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Ink Machine, black magic, pregame au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-17
Updated: 2018-10-24
Packaged: 2019-06-28 18:06:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 15,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15712338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/demonfire57/pseuds/demonfire57
Summary: No one knows the true reason behind Henry's leaving, nor the reason behind the mysterious disappearances of the employees of Joey Drew Studios. However, if you seek out Emily Browning, she may be able to tell you the events leading up to Henry's return.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> So... I made another OC! ^^; You'll learn about her later on the story.  
> Anyways, I wanted to write another chaptered Fanfiction for BATIM as well a create a background as to what happened to the Silly Vision employees before the Studio was shut down. This might be another hecktick ride, and I apologize in advance if I don't write as often as I usually do. (As I have a billion other things going on and several stories that need my attention as well.)  
> But when inspiration strikes, I gotta write, right?
> 
> Now, let's begin...

In the darkness of the once famous animation studio, a lone figure crept through the halls. It had long ruled this place since it was awoken by the ink machine over thirty years ago, created to be a “perfect toon” in the studio owner’s eyes.

He blamed _her_ for being imperfect.

Touching a wall, an inky portal was created. The creature walked through, ever silent. It only spoke to a handful of the creatures that roamed the halls, eliminating the others that dared to try and harm those that were trying to get by.

Exiting the portal, it discovered it was not alone.

Two more figures stood in the room it had appeared in while another figure laid on one of the cots in the corner. The first of the figures was a petite woman in a black dress, black combat boots, and a belt strapped to her chest and her waist. A sword hung at her side, dripping with fresh ink. Her black hair was pulled back by a hair tie while two white horns, filed slightly, protruded from the side of her head.

The other figure had a wolf-ish appearance, with black and white fur covering him from head to toe. He wore a set of white overalls, covered in ink as well, with a black belt strapped across his thin chest. A mechanical arm rested at his side, gripping a Gent wrench firmly in the mechanical hand.

“Bendy!” the woman spoke, “We found Henry.”

The dancing demon looked to the figure who was resting on the cot. A man in his late sixties was clearly asleep upon the cot, his shirt, overalls, and pants stained with ink and blood. His shoes were under the cot, also coated and filled with ink.

“And Susie Angel?” the demon’s voice asked quietly, nearly a gurgling noise compared to the crystal clearness of the Angel’s.

“Allison finished her off,” the wolf answered, “There hasn’t been a sign of the ink demon, either.”

The one side of the demon’s face the two could see had it’s eyebrow raised at them.

“I know you told Tom and I not to venture out on our own, but…”

“Good work.”

The wolf and the angel looked at the demon before each other. They grinned, knowing that Bendy was happy to know they were safe and had finished off the one person the demon couldn’t.

“What should we do with Henry?” Thomas asked, indicating to the sleeping man.

“Let him rest,” the demon answered, “He’ll be in for a shock when he wakes up.”

“You mean when he sees you?”

The demon nodded.

As the two left through another doorway, the demon crouched down, whispering to the sleeping man, “It’s nice to see you again, boss.”


	2. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have another Chapter before I disappear for a while. And, yes, we get to meet Emily and a few more of the prime characters in this chapter.  
> Comments and Kudos, as always, are welcomed!

_Thirty-two years prior…_

The hallway was flooding… yet again. The woman who stood at the far end rolled her blue eyes as she attempted to step through the ink as carefully and quickly as possible. Compared to the others who worked in the offices of Joey Drew Studios, she was one of the few that had to walk through these ink-filled hallways in pantyhose and high heels.

But, it was her job.

After all, being an assistant to the head of the art department was no easy task. However, it was a job she enjoyed, no matter how messy it apparently gotten. Still, she wished with all her heart to go back to the days before the so-called “Ink Machine” was created and took up the majority of the main floor of the studio.

Stepping up out of the ink, she groaned at the sight of the ink staining, yet another, pair of pantyhose. Maybe she should have bought the black pair. The woman continued down the hall, leaving footprints behind her as she continued onward.

Shouting could be heard coming from the head’s office as the woman approached. It sounded like Susie Campbell was arguing with Joey again.

Ever since word had spread that Sammy Lawrence, the music director for the studio, was considering finding a new actor to voice the character of Alice Angel, Susie had been in Joey’s office more than she was behind the microphone in the recording booth. But, it wasn’t any shocker. After all, Joey and Susie had gone out on a few dates.

But even if they weren’t technically dating, Susie would always argue that Alice was her character and no one else’s. Joey claimed he had no responsibility for choosing who voiced who in the show. But, Joey did have a say about who was hired or fired.

“Fine!” Susie shouted then, “But you won’t hear the last of me, Drew!”

The door slammed open as a petite brunette stormed from the office, her face redder than a ripe red tomato. Susie stopped and glared at the smaller woman who had been standing against the wall, waiting to enter Joey’s office.

“Emily,” Susie smiled, showing her teeth in resentment, “Please tell Joey to fire Sammy for me, would you?”

The woman could only shake her head in disagreement, “You know as well as I do that anything I try and tell Joe will go in one ear and out the other.”

Susie huffed, tossed her hair over her shoulder, and carried down the hall. If she was a cartoon character, Emily would’ve seen steam coming out of the voice actor’s ears.

“Em?” a tall man poked his head out the office as the woman turned to her boss.

“Mr. Drew, I have a few plans that Allister wanted you to look at before the next episode release,” Emily came forward, handing her boss the small stack of papers.

As her boss looked through the paperwork, he sighed, “That man as good ideas, but procrastinates by creating new ideas… how’s ‘Mystery Mansion’ coming along, by the way?”

“Still finishing up a few pieces here and there, sir.”

Joey Drew growled, “Those idiots were supposed to have the thing finished by now! We are supposed to be showing that this upcoming Friday!”

The anger in her boss’ voice made the timid assistant jump. If her original boss was here, they be working on episode that would be coming out in two months from now. Henry was, after all, a better animator than the whole ten men that worked in the art studio put together. At least Emily thought so.

It was getting harder too. Recently, people began disappearing. At least two of the ten men who worked in the art department had vanished without a trace. No note, no nothing. Emily had been considering asking the other departments if any of their staff members had gone missing.

Joey sighed, “I’m not mad at you, Em. You follow everything to a T.”

“Thank you, sir,” the assistant smiled.

“I must ask, has Henry tried to contact you yet?”

Emily could only shake her head. She hadn’t heard anything from Henry since he left the studio a little over a year prior to hiring the rest of the art department staff. It had been a shock to everyone when Henry didn’t show up the following morning. Norman did mention something about hearing am arguement in Joey’s office the night before, which Joey claimed was playful banter between the two of them, as they were best pals.

Emily had found a note on the animator’s desk that addressed he was leaving the studio and would not be returning due to personal reasons. Ever since, Joey had constantly asked Emily if she knew anything about Henry’s leaving or if he had gotten into contact with her since they were close in the studio.

All Emily told Joey was, no, he hadn’t gotten into contact with her. But she never said anything about knowing why Henry left the studio. It wasn’t, after all, her secret to tell. Henry had entrusted his reason behind his leaving to Emily the last night she saw him, and she, in turn, swore to never mention it to anyone.

As Emily turned to return to the art department, Joey called after her, “Well, let me know if Henry gets in contact with you!”

“Yes sir!”

***

As Emily waded her way through the ink filled hallway once more, she heard a familiar voice cursing at the top of his lungs.

“AW FUCKING JESUS CHRIST! THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE!?!”

“You kiss your wife with that mouth?” Emily asked as the figures of Thomas Connor and another of his maintenance crew came into view.

Connor was standing on a ladder, which was resting against one of the many pipes along the hallway walls while his assistant was in ankle deep ink holding a large metal box of tools and gears.

“As a matter of fact,” Connor glared at Emily, ink covering his hat and shoulders from the leak, “I don’t cause I ain’t married. And I don’t kiss my mother either ‘cause she’s been dead for the past three years.”

“Calm down, Connor,” his assistant answered, adjusting his stance in the liquid, “It ain’t as bad as the last one.”

“Would be a lot easier if Wally was here,” the head officer gumbled gruffly.

“Wally Franks? But, I saw him yesterday,” Emily said.

“Oh yeah? Well, he hasn’t shown up yet. And Brendan Miller has been missing for the past two weeks… not to mention that Carter Marshall and Sawyer Wilson haven’t shown up in a month either!”

Emily’s eyes widened, “Exactly how many of your staff hasn’t shown up again?”

Connor shrugged, “I dunno… maybe, six of my crew and five of the janitorial? Why the interest?”

Emily shook her head, “Never mind, Tom. Thanks again for fixing that.”

“I keep tell yall, if Joey Drew continues to use ink in these pipes, we’re gonna die in it.”

Emily continued down the hall, not minding the grumbling that Thomas continued to spew as he worked the pipe. Everyone was frusterated with the pipes, especially in the music department where most of the leaks happened.

If Sammy Lawrence had issues with the pipes, it was primarily due to the fact the pump switch was in the music director’s office, which meant plenty of distractions from the other musicians entering his office constantly. No wonder Thomas was under so much stress.

But still… the fact there were two people missing from the art department as well as eleven people missing from the maintenance depart wasn’t adding up. Emily rubbed her temples, deciding to visit the music department.

She had some paperwork for Norman Polk and Sammy anyway.


	3. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter will give more details to the building itself, as well as a few more of the characters that may be of importance.  
> I would also like to apologize if this is starting out as a slow read, but I promise the next chapter will have a bit more excitement in it.
> 
> As always, Comments appreciated!

Making her way down to the music department was easier than making her way up to Joey’s office.

Drew’s office was on the top floor of the building, where the archives as well as Grant Cohen’s office was. Recently, Joey had been expanding the building from the archives to make additional room for what he called “something for Henry.” From the plans Emily had seen on Joey’s desk before he thrust them into a drawer, it looked like a huge theme park, supposedly to take after the episodes, including rides from the upcoming “Mystery Mansion.”

A few flights of stairs downward led to the main floor, where the Ink Machine was stored as well as the Art Department and Emily’s office. Emily spent most of her time on the art floor, gathering paper work as well as sitting down and animating some of the sequences when they were behind schedule. When Henry was around, he would have her work the backgrounds of the scenes, adding small details here and there to make it more memorable, and to show who the creator of Bendy was. However, with ten… now eight, men working on one scene all at once made it easier to fall behind. Emily had to learn how to draw the characters quickly in order to make the deadlines Joey had set for the crew.

Beneath the art department was the music department. Sammy Lawrence always had a tune stuck in that blonde head of his and would constantly be changing it. Jack Fain, the lyricist, was always stuck to Sammy’s side like peanut butter on bread. The lyricist, who was probably in his late sixties, always was singing to Sammy’s humming. It was no wonder that many of the songs like “Dancing Demon” ended up stuck in everyone’s head whenever it was heard.

There were a few other floors beneath the music department, but Emily rarely ventured onto those floors. She did visit level K once to visit one of the toy creators by the name of Shawn Flynn, a nice man who immigrated from Ireland to seek out his own fortune. He was a toy maker, learning his trade from both his father and grandfather, who had learned the trade from the older generations. He had given Emily one of the first Alice Angel prototypes, and she kept it up on the shelves in her own personal space. Emily still visited Shawn, but not as often as she visited Norman Polk.

Norman Polk was one of the projectionists, whose offices were on the 14th floor of the Studio, hidden deep underground. However, due the building of the ink machine as well as the constant leaks that happened all around the studio’s piping system, the 14th floor had flooded. Thomas Connor couldn’t always make the trips down to the lowest level of the ever-growing building, so it was decided for the entire floor to be shut off completely and move the projectionists and their equipment to other floors. Norman Polk was usually in the music department, as he played the Bendy episodes as the musicians played along and the voice actors spoke their lines or sang the songs.

Arriving in the music department, Emily took the time to stand still and listen to the music that was playing on the speakers in the main entry way. Jazz had always been a favorite of Sammy’s, he claimed it helped the inspiration flow better.

The music was cut off as an older man approached Emily. He was tall with dark skin and greying hair and wore a white dress shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows, black suspenders, black slacks, and black dress shoes. Grease covered his hands, which he was rubbing as he spoke, “Emily! A pleasure ta see ya down ‘ere!”

“Hello Norman,” Emily greeted the projectionist before handing some paper work to the man, “Here are the sketches you requested.”

“These were supposed to be done last week!”

“I know… we’ve had two of the artists leave us unexpectedly,” Emily answered, “And Joey knows too. I talked to him earlier.”

Norman shook his head in disgust,’ “This ain’t right, Em. I know ya an’ Henry, when he was here, made life hella lot easier fer all of us. Those idiots in the art department are flushin’ yer reputation down the shithole!”

“I know,” the assistant shrugged, “but I can only do the best I can. By the way, have you seen Sammy? I hate to bother him, but…”

“Don’t tell me, lemme guess… Allister don’t like the music an’ ‘as a note fer Sammy regarding music changes.”

Emily nodded. As much as Allister Benning was an artist, he was… kind of a jerk, to everyone and Emily, specifically towards poor Sammy. He always had something to complain about to the music director, and it was literally destroying Sammy. Emily had seen him with his head face down on his desk in his office on more than a few occasions.

Norman shook his head, “If that man don’t keep ‘imself in line, I’m gonna knock ‘im one.”

“And I’ll be there to see it.”

The projectionist laughed before answering the question, “As a matter of fact, Sammy just threw me outta my projection booth. He told me an’ the other musicians… what’s left of ‘em at least, ta wait in the hall.”

“What’s left of them?”

“Yeah. Don’tcha know? Joey’s been calling people inta his office and they haven’t returned. I think he might be firing a few folks.”

It was then that Sammy Lawrence made his appearance. His typical slicked back blond hair was a disarray, falling in red his face. He was slumped forward slightly as he leaned against the nearby wall. His tie was loose around his neck and his shirt was wrinkled and slightly untucked from his pressed dress pants. Emily and Norman quickly approached their coworker, both realizing something was wrong.

“Sammy!” Emily looked upon him as the music director gripped his forehead. From the looks of it, Sammy was sick. Sweat beaded on his neck and the heat was radiating off his body.

Norman gripped the man shoulder as some of the musicians appeared, hearing Emily’s cry of surprise to see what was going on.

“Come on,” Norman wrapped one of Sammy’s arms around his shoulder, gripping the weak man’s back, “Someone help me get ‘im inta the infirmary!”

***

“At least it’s only stress that’s making Sammy sick,” Emily commented. She and Norman had made their way up to the projection booth after hearing what the doctor had to say about Sammy’s condition.

“I guess,” Norman said as he worked away on his projector, “but still… it goes back ta that conversation we were havin’ earlier… Mr. Drew isn’t only firing people, but he’s workin’ the rest of us like dogs. An’ the few of us that actually give a damn about our jobs…” the projectionist shook his head.

Emily could sympathize with Norman. It wasn’t just the artists and the musicians that were running around, everyone else in other departments were in a panic state as well. Deadlines weren’t being met, pipes continued to burst and flood hallways and staircases, machinery ran on it’s own when it shouldn’t have… and everyone seemed ready to blame another for lack of work.

Emily stood from her chair, dusting herself off and looked down at her ruined pantyhose again. She could only sigh before turning to Norman, “Thanks again, Norman for letting me rest here for a bit before I return to the art department. I’m sure my desk is covered with paperwork now.”

“Plannin’ on stayin’ late again?” the old projectionst asked.

“What choice do I have? On top of running errands for Joey Drew and the art staff, I also work on the sequences for each episode, something I’ve been putting off to the side almost every day.”

“Well, don’t make yerself sick, girl,” Norman smiled, “Yer the closest thing we got ta Henry now that he’s gone.”


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished the third chapter! Apologies for the delay... School back in session and work is piling up so to say...  
> Please Comment and send Kudos! (It helps!)

The art department was in ruins by the time Emily had returned.

Paperwork was lying everywhere, including ink spills that covered the floors, desks, and clean paper. Pens were tossed carelessly as if someone was looking for something. Emily picked up one of the few balled up pieces of paper and gently unwrinkled it to see a familiar face staring up at her.

A black and white grinning demon stared at the young woman from the confines of the page, it’s black pie cut eyes watching her every move. This was Henry’s creation, the last thing that reminded Emily of his presence in the studio. Bendy was the closest thing anyone had left from Henry before he upped and left the studio, leaving only a letter behind.

Emily set the sheet of paper on one of the nearby desks before making her way around the room, picking up after the other artists. On more than one occasion, she could feel a disturbing presence in the room and constantly looked around her to see if someone had crept in.

No one but the assistant.

After she finished tiding up, Emily pulled her wool sweater off her shoulders, rolled the sleeves to her white blouse up past her elbows and sat at one of the desks. Pulling a few pieces of paper from a nearby stack, she began the slow process of finishing up the scenes for “Mystery Masion.” As she worked, the radio hummed softly in the corner, gracing the studio with the dancing demon’s voice as he sang his swinging tune.

Page after page, she worked into the night, removing herself from the desk only when she needed to. The majority of the episode had been completed, but Emily was mostly concerned with the ending bit, as the art department team had chosen an ending, but couldn’t seem to get around to finish it. One of the artists told Emily this concern, and she decided to help her crew as best as she could, which was why she was ever grateful to know how to draw the characters as close to Henry’s original designs as possible.

It wasn’t until almost midnight that Emily was able to stretch herself out. Her spine cracked with relief after being crouched in one position for a while. She pulled her freshly finished stack of cartoons and set it on another desk before returning to her spot. She packed up the few things she used and grabbed her sweater.

“Good night, Bendy!” She called over her shoulder as she left the room, a habit she had gotten into so much that she often forgot that she did it. Emily made her way down the hall from the artist’s offices and work space before entering her own personal office, which was down the hall, closest to the break room and the ink machine room.

She pulled a recording device from a drawer and hit the record button before speaking.

“It has been nearly two years since Henry Ross, our head animator and cartoonist, left us. I’m trying to keep track of days here, but it seems to get harder the more I find myself staying to look over paperwork and work on the animations for the art department. Not that it bothers me, I love animating… I’m just not very good at it.”

“I have discovered something. I don’t think it means anything yet, but if people continue to leave without notices… I might have to ask Joey if he knows what’s going on. I don’t want to stick my nose in someplace where it doesn’t belong, but… curiosity did kill the cat, after all. Or, in this case, curiosity killed the demon.”

She clicked the stop button before returning the tape to the drawer and locking it. She grabbed her purse and sweater and left the office, thankful to be leaving for the day.

As she rounded the corner, she heard footsteps. The noisy _click-clack_ of another woman’s high heels sounded through the deserted hallways. Emily watched as a petite brunette vanished around another corner, heading towards the stairwell that led up to Joey’s office.

“Susie can’t take the hint, can she?” Emily muttered before heading toward the exit.

***

It was suspiciously quiet when Emily entered the building the following morning.

Typically, the hallways would be filled with everyone from all the departments. Some would be in the break room getting coffee and socializing while others would be climbing up or down the stairwells, chattering away. Joey would sometimes be waiting for Emily when she walked in so he could give her a list of tasks to do before she began starting work in the Art department.

But, something seemed off today as Emily began to make her way to her office. One of the animators, Maxwell Newmann, was waiting for her by her doorway with an envelope in one hand. And if an animator was waiting for her, it wasn’t good.

“Mr. Newmann,” Emily greeted, trying to stay positive, “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting…”

“Oh, it’s alright,” Maxwell smiled at the assistant as she opened her door. As Emily set her stuff down and took her coat off, the animator began, “Mr. Drew wants to see you right away in his office. Apperently, something happened to Susie Campbell last night and he wants you to show Miss Allison Pendle around.”

“Allison? But, that doesn’t make sense,” Emily started, “She’s been doing the voice for Alice Angel a little over a week now. She was here yesterday in the recording booth.”

Max shrugged his shoulders, “I dunno… but that’s what he told me to tell you,” he turned to leave before poking his head back in saying, “By the way, Allister hasn’t shown up yet and he’s here usually by now.”

“Did you try calling him?”

“Yeah, went straight to voicemail.”

“Ok, I’ll try after my meeting with Joey this morning.”

“Thanks Em, you’re fantastic!”

Emily followed Maxwell out of her office before turning to climb the never ending stair case up to Joey’s office as Maxwell headed back to the art tables. As Emily climbed, she couldn’t help but wonder what had happened to Susie the previous night as she had made her way through the halls of a darkened and, admittedly, creepy studio.


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi ya'll! I'm back!  
> Yes... I had run out of inspiration, until now, which I'm incredibly thank for. Also, as it is October, er INKtober, I will be doing some inktober art pieces that are inspired by Bendy and the Ink Machine Prompt.  
> They can be seen on my deviantart page, so go check it out!
> 
> As always, Comments? Kudos? Pretty please?

“You wanted to see me, Joey?”

Joey Drew smiled at seeing Emily enter the office. Compared to the other offices in the studio, Drew’s office was spotless. Paper was stacked neatly on his long mahogany desk while photographs lined behind the owner. The floors were clear of debris and ink was nowhere to be found, except for the inside of the inkwell that sat on the desk.

“Yes, I wanted to alert you of a few changes going forward,” Joey Drew smiled, “as you are one of the only people to travel freely through the studio. You do recall Levels K through 14, correct?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I want you and the maintince staff to stay away from those floors.”

“Sir?”

Joey stared at Emily hard. If she hadn’t known Joey like she did, she would have thought he was glaring at her, hoping to see through her soul. Her boss continued, “I’ve been made aware that those floors are too dangerous for anyone to travel down to now. Once I figure out how to reign in the problems, I will let you continue to move down to the lower levels again.”

“But what about Shawn? His offices are down there! And the Heavenly Toys workshop employees? If there are problems… they could get hurt!”

“Don’t you fret, my dear sweet Emily,” the grin Joey gave was anything but comforting, “They are perfectly safe and sound. Mr. Flynn and his staff will be working in the upper floors by me and Mr. Cohen. Any paperwork for them will be brought to me. Understand?”

Emily nodded mutely before standing.

“Oh! And Emily.”

She turned as Joey Drew’s face hardened again, “This is to be our secret, right?”

Emily nodded, “Yes sir.”

***

As Emily made her way down the steps back toward the art department, she couldn’t help but feel as if something in her gut was telling her to run. To leave the studio and never return.

Just like Henry did.

But her sense of obligation and dedication to the Studio and it’s crew pulled on her heart strings. She had grown so attached to many and feared for everyone, especially since she had a sneaky suspicion that something was going on within the Studio walls. Emily stopped and sat on the staircase, tapping her chin and foot, trying to wrap her head around everything.

What was going on? Everything that Joey told her seemed so vague and… it didn’t make any sense.

Well, if no one was going to get her the information she needed, Emily was going to find out herself. She stood and hurried to her office, and idea forming in her mind.

Max was waiting for her, a pile pf paperwork in his hands.

“Emily! Here’s the completed sketches for the next episode. And Allister still hasn’t shown up yet.”

She took the papers, smiling, “Thanks Max. Don’t worry about Allister. I’ll talk to him tomorrow. He might be sick today.”

She set the paperwork on her desk before continuing, “I’ve some running to do for Joey, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Max nodded, “Sure thing. Let us know if ya need anythin’.”

“Don’t worry about me. You guys worry about the cartoons, we’re already behind as it is.”

Max nodded before disappearing. It felt strange being secretive. But, then again, she was already harboring two secrets, one of which she had held close to her heart for almost two years.

Now, Emily let out a sigh of relief, it was time to figure out what Joey Drew was up too. And the first thing to do was to travel down to levels K and below.

***

The elevator rattled and clunked as Emily made her way down. Thomas had inspected it once a little over three months ago and deemed the elevator unsafe. It came and left as it pleased, sometimes not even stopping on the floor it was supposed to. Although Joey Drew demanded time and time again for the elevator to be repaired, there was no way on God’s green earth that as long as the pipes kept bursting and spilling ink, Thomas Connor was just far too busy to properly repair it without the help and equipment he needed.

Emily clutched the flashlight tighter to her chest as the elevator rumbled all around her.

“Take the stairs, Em,” Thomas had once told her, “That blasted elevator is gonna kill someone one of these days and I’d hate ta see ya the victim of it.”

As much as Tom was probably right about the whole thing, Emily knew that the quickest way down was to take the elevator. Besides, she didn’t want anyone else knowing that she was heading down to the lower levels, particularly the one Joey now deemed as “too dangerous.”

From what she could see as the elevator slowly came to a halt on level K, the floors seemed clear of debris but covered by the occasional ink puddle that seemed to bubble with life. The doors creaked open once the elevator came to a halt, allowing it’s singular passenger to exit. Emily flicked the flashlight on and headed up the steps to where it would lead to Shawn Flynn’s heavenly toy workshop.

The floor boards creaked under Emily’s heels as she crept along, the light being her only guide in the current darkness. Machinery groaned and sighed, speaking of the hard work that was currently happening either above or below as the woman made her way around.

As Emily neared the entrance to one of the workshop store rooms, she could have sworn she felt eyes following her every move, watching her every step… listening as she breathed in fright and nervousness.

The door creaked open to reveal a small recording room. This room was where Alice angel was born and where Shawn had given Emily the first prototype to the new character.

“She’s so adorable, Shawn!” Emily recalled herself saying as the little doll looked up at her with inky black eyes.

“Alice is one of those sweet little angels you get to meet once in a great while,” the toy maker had agreed, “Hopefully she doesn’t change.”

More versions of the little Alice doll lined on shelving behind glass while a large stuffed Boris the Wolf sat on the floor near another door.

As Emily headed in that direction, a gently sigh ruffled through the room.

But, Emily didn’t say anything and there was no one here except her… right?

The woman turned to look behind her as the lights dimmed and an all too familiar voice began to sing:

“I’m the cutest little angel sent from above and I know how to swing. I’ve got a bright little halo and I’m filled with love, I’m Alice Angel.

“I’m the hit of the party, I’m the belle of the ball, I’m the toast of every town. Just one little dance and I know you’ll fall, I’m Alice Angel.

“I ain’t no flapper, I’m a classy dish, and, boy can this girl sing, this gal can grant your every wish, I’m Alice Angel!”

Without warning, a woman suddenly appeared before Emily, hatred burning in her eyes. The woman was small and petite, dripping with black ink that fell around her in globs, landing in puddles around her feet.

The woman’s smile was crooked, as if her jaw was snapped in half. One of her eyes was missing and that side of her face in general looked like it had been melted, causing the face to be twisted and grotesque. Two horns protruded from her head and a broken halo stuck out from the mod of black hair.

The woman screamed and ran toward Emily, who screamed as the woman pounced.


	6. Chapter 5: Inky Discovery

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi guys!  
> Sorry for the delay, yet again... been busy ^^;  
> Anyways, because the final chapter for Bendy and the Ink Machine will be coming out in about a week (I've been listening in on Henry's recording, keeping up on how he's doing after all), I want to try and get the rest of this story posted. And the reason behind this is that once I play through that final chapter, I will be doing a sequel to this story.  
> So, guarantee, we'll be seeing more of Emily's character in the coming weeks.
> 
> And, today, you guys will get TWO (2) chapters since I've picked this back up.
> 
> So, let's see if "Alice" can get to Emily... or if another will come to her rescue.

Emily shut her eyes and crouched down as a sudden howl filled the room. She heard screams from “Alice” as well as low, but loud, moaning.

One eye peeked open to see several figures dripping with ink, clawing and gripping at the angel as she continued to scream and shout. An ink covered hand landed gently on Emily’s shoulder and the woman turned to see one of the ink creatures beside her.

Emily would’ve run if it wasn’t for the fact that this creature gurgled at her, a thick voice that sounded so familiar to her, _“Emily…”_

“Shawn?”

The creature only bowed it’s head before taking her hand and pulling her through the closed door as the screaming of the angel and moans of the other ink-covered creatures drowned out the silence of the Heavenly Toys Workshop.

***

Sitting on one of the couches, Emily watched as “Shawn” crouched by her feet, his two lanky ink covered arms and fists pressed against the floor. Ink dribbled from the creature’s chest, back, and arms into large puddles beneath him. He was watching, as if waiting for something.

Emily leaned forward, pressing her hands to her face. Her hair had become loose from the bun she had it in earlier this morning, allowing it to fall around her like a curtain. _How had this happened?_

_“Not… sssafe…”_

She looked up as “Shawn” had turned to her. Although she could see that he had no eyes to watch her, it felt as if he could see right through her, into her soul. The ink creature held one hand out to her, _“Come with me…”_

“Only if you answer me this,” Emily began, “What happened, Shawn? How… how are you and the other toy makers like this? Who was that?”

Shawn turned away, as if ashamed. Emily could sense fear and pain coming from her friend, as if he had experienced the most traumatic thing that could ever happen to him. And he most definitely had, for her to find him in this condition.

_“… Machine…”_

The assistant blinked in surprise. The toymaker turned ink creature spoke softly again, _“… Joey Drew… Ink Machine…”_

“What does Joey Drew have to do with the ink machine?”

The ink creature dropped his head, offering out his hand to the assistant again. Shawn didn’t want to speak anymore of what happened. Emily sighed and stood, allowing the creature to take her hand, leading her up and out of the heavenly workshop.

Shawn seemed content to know that she was willing to drop the matter, at least for now. He spoke again, _“Friendsss… ssstill?”_

“Always, Shawn… but where are you taking me?”

_“Ssssafehoussse.”_

“Safehouse?”

The creature nodded as a set of opened suddenly, revealing a long dark entry way. Shawn handed a flashlight to the young woman before speaking one last time, _“Talk to Wally…”_

“Wally? Wally Franks?!?”

Shawn spoke no more as he turned as crawled away, leaving Emily in shock by the dark hall.

***

The journey through the darkness was relatively short. Ink still dripped from the ceiling as it did everywhere here on level K. Thumping noises were heard from overhead, causing the assistant to jump slightly at any sound. Emily didn’t want to encounter anymore spooks than what she had encountered already, especially after meeting the person who was supposed to be “Alice Angel.”

A light suddenly came into view, revealing another hallway. Emily sighed, switching the flashlight off, setting it on the desk near the entrance to the dark hallway. She could only hope that wherever or whoever Shawn had left her in the care of was equally as pleasant… and hopefully more talkable.

A door was at the edge of the hall. It seemed to be almost invisible if one wasn’t looking for it. Long wooden paneling made up the door and there was a large latch, made of heavy metal, that spread from one side of the door to the other.

It seemed whoever was behind that door sure didn’t want anything getting in… or was it to keep them from getting out?

Emily steeled her nerves again and timidly knocked on the door. She thought she could hear something shuffling around on the other side of the door, so she knocked again, a little louder.

“Hello? Is anyone there?”

No answer.

Emily sighed again, now at a complete loss. She considered going back the way she came, when she heard a soft _click._

A familiar black and white face poke it’s head out, looking to see who was at the door. The creature was a cartoonish black and white dog with a big black nose on the end of his long snout. Two droopy-ish ears sat on top of his head and they twitched as the animal moved it’s head about.

Upon seeing Emily, the dog barked happily before bounding out of the door way and pouncing atop the woman.

“B-B-Boris!?!” Emily was so surprised to see the wolf that she didn’t realize she had hit the ground until the creature had landed atop her, licking at her face.

More noises were heard and, soon, two more Boris’ had made an appearance, both trying to get the young woman’s attention as young pups would have. Emily cried tears in relief at seeing three of Bendy’s closest friend from the cartoons, hugging each Boris in turn before they allowed the young woman to get up and helped her into the safe house.


	7. Chapter 6: The Boris' Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, second chapter for today.  
> I may post something tomorrow (crossing my fingers that my inspiration doesn't run dry on me), but I dunno.
> 
> Also, out of curiosity, can anyone guess who my Boris' are before reading this chapter? Here's a hint: we know one from the game already, the other two are characters mention in the first chapter (not the prologue).

The safehouse itself was a small one room space that held a small kitchenette in one corner, three hammocks in another, and a circular table in the center of the room. As one Boris brought over a spare chair for Emily to sit on, another closed the door tightly before removing the lever to release the door and placing it in a small box before locking it shut.

Definitely kept them from leaving, and kept anyone from entering.

Emily sat down and a bowl was placed in front of her. The liquid was steaming and the aroma of bacon filled her nose. Her stomach growled and she realized then that she hadn’t eaten anything since this morning.

She poked at the food with her fork before asking, “Is this Bacon Soup?”

One of the Boris’, who seemed to be taller than the other two, tapped the side of an empty Bacon Soup can, as if to say ‘Indeed.’

“Can any of you talk?”

Each one took turns, shaking their head. Emily sighed before taking a bite of the soup.

As she ate, she took observation on the each of the Boris’, whom she had now had the company of. The first one, the one to bound on top of Emily upon seeing her, was an almost perfect Boris. Same markings as the cartoon, and the same height, almost everything was the same. The only problem was that he seemed shy and nervous. He sat closest to her, shuffling a deck of Bendy play cards, trying to keep his mind elsewhere.

The second one was a tad shorter with grey overalls and a long black tail poking from behind. Emily could hear the tail thumping against the chair as it watched the other Boris shuffle his deck.

The final Boris, obviously the leader of the three, was taller than the other two, almost six feet in height. He still had the same marking at the other two Boris’, but where it was supposed to be black, he had more of a dark grey coat. His white overalls were dingy and covered from top to bottom in ink and soup stains. He was still at the stove, stirring up another pot of Bacon Soup before bringing two bowls to the table. He turned and fetched one for himself and the four of them began to eat in silence.

Once finished, Emily pushed her bowl to the center of the table, turning to the taller Boris, “Thank you, that was delicious!”

He bowed slightly, placing a gloved hand over his heart. The other two started snickering before the taller hit them both on the back of the head with the wooden spoon. Emily chuckled and stood, “Well, thank you for lunch, but I must be finding my way back upstairs.”

All of a sudden, all three Boris’ rushed to her, pushing her back into the chair, shaking their heads and whimpering.

“But I can’t stay here!” Emily tried to reason with them, “Everyone will be looking for, and Joey…”

The leader of the Boris’ growled softly. He turned and picked up a pad of paper and a pencil, scribbling across the sheet. He handed the pad to Emily.

_Not safe anymore, Em._

Emily looked confused, “What do you mean, not safe? I know it’s not safe out there, but I’ll be safe above Level K.”

The third Boris shook his head, taking the pad back and scribbling on it again: _Joey needs you, like he needed us._

“Well, of course he needs me! I’m the assistant!”

_He wants you for the Ink Machine._

Emily stared at the paper. Shawn had mentioned something about the Ink Machine being the cause, but how was Joey connected to all this? The man did have some crazy ideas, genius ideas… but there was no way he was the cause for what happened to Shawn… unless…

Emily looked up at the three Boris’, fear clearly written in their inky eyes. She began slowly, “What do you mean?”

The leader took the pad and scribbled again. It took him some time, but the note that he handed to her was much longer than the others: _He wants perfect toons. We were considered imperfect and where able to escape before anymore modifications could be done. Joey is a dangerous man and will kill you, like he did to us._

“How?”

_He put us through the machine, and we were no longer the people we used to be._

It was here that Emily suddenly realized who she was looking at. These weren’t Boris’, they were three men from the maintenance staff who had gone missing.

Looking up at the taller of the three, she stared at him long and hard before whispering, “Are you Brendan Miller?”

The taller Boris looked taken back as Emily spoke the name. He nodded, smiling, allowing the truth to be revealed at last.

She turned to the second one, the one who was shorter than the other two as his tail wagged back and forth.

“Carter Marshall?”

He made a small woof noise as his tail wagged even harder.

Emily turned to the last one, the nearly perfect Boris.

“Wally Franks?”

The wolf smiled, wrapping her in a hug. Tears sprung from her eyes at finally reconnecting with the men whom she had known since the beginning. Brendan and Carter joined Wally and Emily’s hug, relief and joy spreading through the small room.

Emily released the wolves before asking, “Where are the others?”

The three former maintenance staff members looked at each other. Wally shivered visibly while Carter’s tail drooped, hiding between his legs. Brendan sighed and wrote on the note a simple answer: _Follow us._


	8. Chapter 7: The Ink Machine Room

The trap door creaked open above as Brendan Boris popped his head up. Keeping low, he looked and found no one. He hopped out and reached a hand down, helping Emily out of the secret passage way. Wally and Carter followed, both slightly nervous about where they were.

And it wasn’t until a match was struck and a candle lit that Emily saw the reasoning behind Wally and Carter’s fear.

The room they stood in was designed as a medical room. A long table sat on one side of the room, covered with cloth and tools, some unusual in design. The table was also covered in ink, as were a few of the clots and tools. But the true reason sat in the center of the room.

Another Boris was strapped to a table, his chest pried open, revealing inky innards. His head was lolled to the side, mouth open and tongue hanging out. It’s eyes were crossed out, giving a cartoonish death look. A thick and heavy pipe stood behind the table, attached to the dead Boris. Ink and blood dripped from the toon and Emily nearly gagged at the sight.

She turned her head away, tears prickling in her eyes. Wally wrapped her in a hug, hiding her face under his chin.

“Why?” Emily sputtered, “Why!?”

The wolves could give no answer.

Suddenly, a noise was heard. A low gurgling noise that came from the pipe before ink began to sputter out of the dead toon.

The four of them watched and waited, hearing only the sound of machinery thunder and creak in the silence of the room.

Emily looked at Brendan, “Is… is the ink machine on?”

Brendan only nodded.

More noises were heard then, footsteps… and they were coming.

Brendan opened the trap door, allowing both Wally and Carter to jump inside. Emily followed behind as Brendan closed the door. With the wolves behind her, standing close by, Emily strained to hear any more movement.

Loud steps landed on the wood and a voice began to suddenly shout, “Then where is she, Samuel?!?”

Another muffled voice answered, clearly Sammy Lawrence’s, “No one’s seen her for a few hours, Mr. Drew… maybe she left for the day? Allister didn’t show up either today is what Max told me. There might be a bug going around.”

“Well, bug or not, I want to know where Emily is!” Joey’s voice thundered.

Emily shook at the sound of her boss’ voice. He was clearly angry…

She made a move to open the trap door, but Brendan stopped her, pointing to the floor above. Emily looked to see a small crack in the floor and watched as the shadows over head made movements on the floor.

“Boss, Emily has been working incredibly hard these past weeks. You can’t just continue to work like this…”

“Why not? I created this company! I get to say what I want from my workers! There is no AWOL business going on here!”

“Joey,” Sammy sighed, trying to keep his calm, “We are behind enough in the animation department enough as it is. Emily is the closest thing we have to Henry right now… and if something happens to her, everything could fall apart.”

There was silence before Joey agreed, “You’re right, Samuel… but you’re also wrong about one thing.”

“Hm? And what is that?”

“Emily’s not Henry. She may have been close to him when he was here, but that doesn’t mean anything.”

Emily looked down. Everyone had kept telling her that she was the closest thing they had to Henry since he left, and she always felt a surge of pride because she was able to do the same thing he did. But, now…

A loud _thunk_ broke her concentration and Emily watched in startled horror as Sammy Lawrence’s body hit the floor. The shadow of Joey Drew returned something from the table before he reached down, grabbing one of Sammy’s legs, and dragged him from the room.

Emily turned to the Boris’,whom had heard and seen everything she had and where beginning to shake visibly.

“Where is he taking Sammy?”

Brendan motioned for her to follow him. Wally and Carter left to return to the safehouse, clearly not wanting to know what was going on.

Around another turn and up a small flight of stairs, Brendan opened another trap door and proceeded to look around before climbing out. He held out a gloved hand, pulling Emily out of the trap door. He indicated to stay low and pointed to above the barrel’s they were currently hiding behind.

Emily peaked over and discovered a large room, almost four times the size as the room they were previously in. barrels filled the room on a small walkway round a great pool, fill with black liquid. The light that crept in from above reflected on the dark water below, as well as on several pipes and chains that were in the room.

Brendan poked on Emily’s shoulder before pointing upward toward a balcony.

Joey Dew stood before what looked like a control console, pressing and pushing on levers and buttons before a loud rattling noise filled the room. Bubbling erupted from the ink pool as a strange device was pulled from the depths.

It was large and intimidating, with long tubes coming from beneath it. A small platform sat at the entrance of the machine, where a pipe opened up to. The heavy chains suspended it in mid-air as it rattled aggressively. Emily recognized it instantly, although she had never seen it before.

This was the Ink Machine that Joey had created upon Henry’s departure.

“Now,” Joey’s voice echoed off the empty walls, “Perhaps you’ll be enough, Sammy.”

Suddenly, a loud splashing sound was heard and more rattling noises sounded out, even louder than before. Emily covered her ears and closed her eyes as the room began to shake and shudder as the machine roared with life. Brendan had also ducked down, ears press against the back of his head.

Then, all was quiet.

Emily peeked above the barrels in time to see a sickly sight.

A large black blob was pushed from the entrance of the machine. It squirmed with life, bubbling and popping before an inky hand broke from the ink. Another followed as a body was slowly revealed, the ink falling from around it. The creature looked very human, standing on two legs, but dripping from head to foot with ink. It had no face, but it’s mouth was open, breathing and wheezing as it gasped at the air.

Emily covered her mouth in awe, tears again filling her eyes as the creature spoke with Sammy’s voice, “W-what?”

It was here that Brendan pulled Emily close to him, jumping into the trap door, shutting it quickly and quietly.


	9. Chapter 8: Final Recording

When the two of them were out of ear shot from “Sammy” and Joey, Emily broke down.

Big wet tears crawled down her face as she helplessly sniffled and cried out. Confusion, anger, disbelief filled the poor assistant to the brim due to what she had witnessed. Joey was a monster! _He_ was responsible for the disappearances of the studio’s workers as well as the deaths of them!

Brendan Boris tried to comfort Emily, but as one who hadn’t been as close to her as Wally had been, he wasn’t entirely sure how to go about it, never mind that his voice had been taken from him. He let her sit beside him and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, allowing her to sob her unhappiness out.

By the time Emily’s tear had dried out, she was still heaving dry sobs. She rubbed at her eyes before a handkerchief had been brought to her focus. Emily took it gratefully, blowing her nose and wiping the salty wetness from her face.

“I’m going to leave…”

Brendan cocked his head at her statement. Emily sighed, explaining, “You said Joey needs me for the ink machine… Now, I’ve seen what it can do. I’m in great danger as long as I stay in this studio. I’d stay, for everyone else’s sake, but I can’t.”

Brendan nodded, understanding filling his features.

Emily looked up at the copy of Boris, who wasn’t Boris, “Will you tell the others goodbye for me? I would, but…”

The wolf smiled and patted her back, nodding.

Both human and human-turned-cartoon knew this would be the last they saw of each other.

***

No one had seen Emily as she entered her office. She wanted to play it as safe as possible until she was out the doors.

She would pack what she could and leave everything else behind. She would return home, pack everything, then call her parents and let them know she would be coming to stay for a few weeks. After that, she wasn’t sure.

She grabbed her papers, pencils, pens, and a few trinkets from the studio and stuffed them into her briefcase. Emily hesitated on the Alice Angel doll. She remembered Shawn giving it to her and when she showed it off Wally, the man laughed before taking the doll carefully, squeezing her as a squeak came from her belly.

“I didn’t even know Alice could squeak!” the janitor had laughed.

Emily placed the doll in the briefcase, it would serve as a reminder of the happy times she had when working here.

Before leaving, she pulled open the tape recorder. She had to leave a message as to why she left, what she had witnessed. It would her last recording, and a final warning to the listener.

Pressing the play button, Emily began her tale:

“I don’t know if anyone will listen to this recording… but I need to warn you. Do not, under any circumstances, trust Joey Drew.

“For the years that I have worked here as his assistant, and as an animator, I can say that everything I’m about to tell you will sound absolutely crazy…”

Emily spoke of the warning Joey had told her, and how she had traveled to the lowest levels to discover his secret. She spoke of her encounter with “Alice” and how she was supposed to be an angel, not a creature intent of harming innocent people. Emily whispered as she recalled discovering that Shawn and the other toy makers had become creatures of ink as well. She described the Boris’, explaining how they helped her discover the dark truth behind the ink machine.

“Now that I know the truth, it is no longer safe for me here,” Emily spoke, “I’m the closest thing to Henry that this studio had… and if Joey is creating perfect toons, then he’ll try me next. I don’t know what he’s trying to achieve if he puts me through that machine, but if I don’t leave now, he’ll most likely succeed.”

Emily breathed in deeply before speaking, “Henry… if you’re listening to this… run away. Run away and never return to the studio. Ever.”

She pressed the stop button and decided to leave the recording on the desk for someone to find. If Joey found it, it wouldn’t do any good. But, she hoped that someone else, one of the maintenance staff or someone from the art department, would discover it and hear about the truth.

Emily grabbed her bag and, as quietly as she came, she slipped from the office, disappearing down the hall.

***

Just as Emily reached the door to the exit, a voice called out.

“Emily!”

Shit… it was Joey!

Emily turned, trying to smile at her boss, “Y-yes Joey?”

“We’ve been looking all over for you!” her boss grinned, his arms spreading open in a friendly gesture, “Where were you?”

“I… I was… uh…” Emily tried to come up with a reason when Joey suddenly frowned. She watched as one of his hand curled to point a finger at her briefcase, “Are you going somewhere?”

“I wasn’t feeling well,” Emily tried to reason, “I might’ve ate something bad during lunch today…”

“Oh really? What was it?”

“Bacon Soup.”

Joey then grinned before he started laughing, “Oh, my dear girl, you are a riot!”

Emily chuckled softly. _I need to get out of here, but how? I can’t leave with Joey standing here, he’ll most likely follow me into the parking lot and try something…_

She realized a second too late that Joey’s laughter had ceased.

The elder man cocked his head at her. Emily trembled slightly when Joey spoke, “Are you leaving the company like Henry did?”

“What? No! Why would I?”

“I can tell something’s bothering you, Emily,” Joey began walking closer, his eyes never leaving hers, “You never leave early, sick or not. You’ve powered through the stomach bug and coughing fits. You run through the halls, even if your body is aching with sickness… what’s going on?”

“I…I…”

Joey’s hand smacked on the door behind her, keeping the young woman trapped as he stared down at her, eyes narrowing, “Tell me, Emily.”

Courage suddenly over came Emily’s fear. She knew that if she didn’t get away somehow, she would succumb to Joey’s demands. Emily swung her heavy briefcase hard, hitting the man square in the gut.

Joey gripped his stomach in pain as Emily took off down the hall.

Just before she could reach her office door, something hard hit her on the back of the head with a loud _clunk_ , knocking her into unconsciousness.


	10. Chapter 9: Transformation

The rattling of machinery woke Emily into consciouness. Her head was throbbing from the blow she received, and her mind was swirling, both from the hit as well as by the confusion of what was happening.

“Where are they, Em?” Drew’s voice broke through the fog.

Emily shook her head, clearing the rest of the fog from her mind. She looked around and discovered herself back in the Ink Machine room. Joey stood in front of her, his arms crossed over his chest.

When she attempted to move her arm, Emily discovered her arms were tied behind her and her legs were tied to the posts of the chair she was sitting in.

“Where are they, Em?” Joey demanded again, growling as his patience was wearing thin.

“Who?”

“The Boris’. I know they led you back up here and I know that you understand why the machine is here now.”

Emily glared at Joey, the confusion leaving her eyes. She would never reveal their secret. Like with Henry’s, she would keep theirs, now that she knew they were the maintenance staff.

Joey _tsked_ in disappointment, “Come along now, Emily. You’ve harbored secrets for far too long. I know you know about Henry’s whereabouts as well as where the other Boris’ are. And I’m fully prepared to offer a deal.”

“What sort of deal?”

“In exchange for the information I want, I will set you free. You can leave the studio and never return if you want. You won’t be subjected to any pain or anything.”

Emily looked down at her feet. What was the price for freedom? Sacrificing another for her life? Giving up the freedom and trust of another so that she could walk away from it all? Was that the price? If so, how would she pay in the end?

Emily steeled her nerves, glaring at Joey, conviction in her eyes, “You were a different man Joey. You had kindness and trust in your heart, now all I see is hunger for something hat you can never achieve unless you sacrifice those around you.”

Her voice grew stronger, shouting, “You are a selfish, cruel-hearted demon that never deserved to be the owner of an animation studio! Nor do you deserve employees like me, or Sammy, or Norman, or anyone who puts forth their best efforts! I’d rather die than tell you anything more. I’ll take my secrets to my grave.”

The man who once was her friend and boss, cocked his eyebrow. He grinned then, “Then you will pay for your silence!”

The next thing Emily knew, she was falling.

***

_There was darkness that surrounded me, a cold and unforgiving darkness that threatened to consume and destroy me. I could hear something calling my name though, a faraway voice that sounded so strange, so familiar. I followed it blindly, the darkness continuing to pull me back from the voice’s eager call._

_My feet felt stuck as I continued my path through the inky blackness. I looked down and could barely see where my feet were or what I was walking in. It felt cold and wet through, and sticky like glue. I knelt down and touched it, letting my other senses aid in figuring out where I was. Whatever it was that I was in was all around me._

_It covered the walls and flowed through the hallway. I pressed my hand to the wall, feeling my hand vanish through the ever-flowing liquid. I reached further, feeling the liquid cover my wrist, then my arm, my elbow. I pulled my arm out before it passed my shoulder. My other hand took the one that had disappeared through the waterfall of liquid blackness._

_Even this liquid was thick and sticky._

_I grimaced and stood. The voice began calling again and I trudged toward it. I placed my hands in front of me as I made my way forward. If I felt a wall, I didn’t want to run into it._

_However, there was no wall. I stopped and squinted at seeing a distant light. I couldn’t shout for help, nor could I tell if the light was held by a being. I tread through the inky liquid, pressing forward toward the light. If there was light, there was at least someone who could help me._

_As I continued, I noticed the liquid seemed to flow heavier and thicker here than where I had woken up. It was all strange, the voice, the thick liquid flowing down what should have been walls and through the long hallway, and the fact there were no others around._

_I felt a chill crept through me and pressed onward, pulling my body through the inky darkness, the light creeping closer and closer as I drew near. I tried calling out, but no sound came from my throat._

_The voice that was calling my name became stronger. Soon, I heard other voices as the light was now a large ball of blinding white. I stopped, suddenly fearful, as the other voices seemed to be crying out._

“No! No! Please!”

“Stop! I beg of you!”

“Oh, hell no! I’m outta here!”

“Beware! Beware!”

_I shivered and looked toward the light again. The voice calling my name grew stronger, almost drowning out the other voices. I turned back toward the darkness, which seemed so lonely compared to what I was hearing, but the light seemed to cause these voices, these… people, grief._

_Should I turn back and stay away from this light that offered me freedom? Should I continue onward, hoping and praying this light was indeed good and not a trick of sorts?_

_My mind made, a went forward and could feel the liquid push against me, threatening to make me fall. With the light nearly in front of me, I could see at last what I was walking in._

_It was ink. Drawing ink._

_My mind flashed images. A man at a desk, sketching a little smiling demon. A musician, singing soft melodies. The sound of a projector turning on. A smiling wolf and a sweet little angel._

_Suddenly, the light engulfed me before darkness took over. A heinous laugh sounded all around me. The little demon from my flashback suddenly appeared, grinning._

_“Are ya ready fer the show, miss Emily? Cause yer the STAR!”_

***

Joey watched as a blob of ink poured itself from the machine. He leaned over the railing watching as it bubbled before taking a form.

It stood on goat legs with a broad chest and a white bowtie sat at the baes of it’s neck. Ink continued to dribble from its chest and down it’s long skeletal arms, stopping at the white pristine gloves that covered the creature’s hands. It’s head lifted to stare at it’s creator, revealing a set of black horns on it’s head.

Ink covered one side of it’s face, allowing one pie cut eye to watch it’s surroundings while a cartoonish grin sat across the creature’s features.

Joey then smiled in greeting, “Welcome home, Bendy.”


	11. Chapter 10: I'm the Dancing Demon

The grin slipped from the creature’s features. A straight line was set in place, allowing Joey to see that his latest creation still had human pieces to it.

“Come, come, Bendy,” Joey grinned, “Where’s my smiling little devil?”

“Your devil?” a gurgling voice broke through the silence.

Joey jumped at the sound, not expecting the demon to speak at all. But it had, and the voice continued:

“Henry created Bendy, not you! You may have created the ink machine, which, in a way, you take a life for another. But Henry will always be the true creator, not you!”

Joey gripped the railing before the demon vanished in a puddle of ink. He looked around, watching, waiting…

But the creature never made it’s appearance again.

***

Down deep in the darkness, the not-do-little devil darling gripped the wood of one of the hidden caverns on level K. A web of darkness had surrounded him as he pressed his ink dripping head against the wall.

In all honesty, it was hard to believe that the soul which now made up the little devil was the one who helped create him. Real and false memories rolled through the creature’s mind, causing a massive headache and confusion to run through the demon.

He knew he could not make an appearance above, or he’d suffer the “adjustments” that the Boris’ had mentioned.

And, besides, no one would listen to a six-foot walking, talking demon dripping with ink.

It raised it’s head, discovering that the portal I had created had taken it into one of the bathrooms on level K. A mirror sat in front of the demon, reflecting it’s true visage to the being.

Two curved horns sat on either side of the creature’s head, which both flicked when listening to anything around it. Ink dribbled around the creature’s face, part of it falling on the right side of it’s face. The black pie-cut eye watched as one gloved hand reached up to push the dripping ink away, revealing one single azure-blue eye.

The demon was shock to see a part of the human soul it harbored gazing at him from that one part, but it could see something else.

Souls.

With it’s one colored eye, the demon could see souls that had failed to go through the ink machine. They were all around the room, trapped.

It released the waterfall of ink, allowing the eye to return behind it’s curtain of safety. Now that was interesting. It would have to experiment some more before it would do anything else.

A hideous laughter broke through the silence, followed immediately by a low howl.

_Boris!_

***

The angel had finished up with one of the Boris’ by the time the demon made an appearance. The heart of the poor creature was in her hand, still thumping with life. The two others were strapped to two separate platforms, both shivering and quaking as their if their lives were about to end.

“Alice” laughed menancingly, “Don’t be afraid, my dear sweet little wolves. You’re going to help me be _beautiful_!”

A low growl erupted in the room and ink webbing surrounded the angel and the wolves. The sound of a heartbeat filled the room as the angel picked up her axe, ready to swing.

“Who’s there?!” she shouted.

As she was distracted, the two Boris’ realized that the straps had been released as a skeletal figure came up behind the angel from an ink puddle that rested unmoving only a few moments ago. They both slipped from the platforms, disappearing behind a wall to watch as the creature neither one had seen before spoke.

“The Dancing Demon, Alice dear.”

Alice whipped around, swinging her axe, only to have a clawed glove hand grip it, keeping it from hitting the creature.

“I’d watch were you swing that thing,” the demon growled, “it could mean the end of your life in only a few seconds.”

“P-please, Bendy!” Alice began to beg, “Y-you wouldn’t hurt your sweet little angel, would you?”

The ink demon growled, twisting her wrist slightly, causing her to drop her axe, “You’re lucky that I ain’t in the mood for a killing spree. What did you do to Boris?”

“He… he offered me his assistance! He… he wanted to help me be beautiful again!”

“Didn’t look like it from my point of view, Alice.”

The angel began to shiver violently, fear written across her features. The last time the demon had ever seen her in fear was when the inked toy makers had attacked her in order to protect the human soul that now made up his inky body.

The demon thought before speaking, “You… are not allowed to venture from Level Nine. All the floors below yours are part of your domain. Everything else belongs to me.”

“W-What?! That’s not fair!”

“Those are my terms for sparing your life.”

The angel sneered, or from what she could, “Agreed, under one condition.”


	12. Chapter 11: Rebirth of an Angel and a Demon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the shortness of chapters. These ones have been more informative than actual action pieces.  
> This chapter will have some information, as well as some action to it.  
> Promise, next chapter will be the one where we see the most action... as well as how Susie Angel lost part of her face.

The studio was quiet, everyone had left for the evening.

Footsteps echoed down the main hallway as two figured appeared in the ink machine room.

Alice leaned against the railing before turning to the control system, pressing buttons and pulling levers before rattling was heard and the fearful ink machine made it’s appearance once more.

Bendy shuddered at seeing the dreaded thing. He wanted nothing to do with it, considering it had only made him less than twenty-four hours ago.

“It would seem that it was used recently,” Alice murmured, grinning at the demon, “Perhaps some of your ink is still in there for me to use.”

“If beauty is in the eye of the beholder,” the demon grumbled, “I don’t know why you want to use this… _thing._ ”

“This creation is a work of art! It made me this way the first time, perhaps it will make me an angel the second time!”

“An angel, huh?”

It was here that “Alice” pressed herself against the demon, grinning up at him, “Don’t forget your little promise to me, my silly demon. In exchange for the freedom of your friends, as well as my banishment from these upper floors, you will do this insy, wincy, little favor for me first.”

The demon rolled his pie-cut eye before pulling away from the angel, turning to the control system, “So, what do I need to press to make this thing work?”

Alice leaned against the demon’s shoulder, pointing to one large green button, “This button starts the machine, and the red one stops it,” she pointed to the red one before continuing, “You’ll need to wait at least fifteen minutes after pressing the green button before you press the red one.”

Bendy nodded understanding as Alice jumped onto the railing, crouching.

She grinned, “I’ll see you in a bit, my demon.”

And she jumped, hitting the inky pool with a loud splash.

The demon waited a bit, wondering if he was doing the right thing. In exchange for helping Alice, the Boris’ would be safe, as well as Shawn Flynn and the other creatures that lurked in the darkness. He tapped his chin before pressing the green button as the machine started up.

Loud roaring echoed in the room, shaking it was violence. The sound was near deafening, just like when he had first heard it as a human. Bendy covered his horn-ears, trying to remember when it was time to press the red button.

What seemed like forever, and when he could no longer take the noise, the demon slammed his clawed-covered hand against the red button as silence filled the room. Leaning over the rail, his eye watched as a large ink blob was poured from the machine. As the ink bubbled before taking on a from, the demon recalled seeing the souls in the bathroom with that one strange eye. He pushed the waterfall of ink away from that strange eye and nearly gasped in surprise.

Alice Angel stood before him, almost perfect except for the ink that dribbled from her neck. But what shocked him the most was seeing the invisible soul that stood in front of her, following Alice’s movements perfectly.

The tall petite brunette that was in front of Alice wore a black pencil skirt, a white blouse, and black flats. A green scarf was wrapped around her neck, matching her ghostly emerald orbs that looked around the same way as Alice. She turned as Alice did, both squealing in the same voice, “Bendy! My dear! You did it! You made me beautiful!”

The demon released the ink waterfall, staring at Alice before turning to leave.

The angel called after him as he vanished into a dark inky portal, his memories from the previous life playing through his mind.

***

_“There you are!”_

_Eyes turned to see a familiar face smiling at her. A name was lost, but somehow, he was familiar. Where? The demon couldn’t recall._

_A woman stood beside the man. She was a tall petite brunette who wore a black pencil skirt, a white blouse, and black flats. A green scarf was wrapped around her neck, matching her ghostly emerald orbs as they sparkled and shined with happiness._

_“This is Susie Campbell, she’ll be voicing Alice Angel in the next episode,” the man explained, “Joey thought she’s be a perfect addition to our crew.”_

_Standing, the demon crossed the floor, reaching out a slender hand, speaking in a soft voice, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Campbell.” Since when was the little devil darling ever timid or slim?_

_“Please, call me Susie,” the woman smiled, “Henry has told me so much about you Emily. I hope we get along well.”_

_Emily… That name…_

The demon woke from his daze. He pressed a hand to his features as a splitting headache erupted.

He turned to see a piece of machinery, showing the reflection of the confused demon. A frown muddled the demon’s smiling features. How was it possible that he had seen the human form of Alice Angel? Was it possible that this eye of his, that remained hidden, showed the true forms of the creatures that lived beneath the studio?

There was only one way to find out.

Lifting the waterfall of ink away yet again, the demon gaped at the reflection that was staring back at him.

He was there alright, but the ghostly visage of a woman stood in front of him. A petite woman with blond hair pulled back into a tight bun stared back at him, her blue azure eyes watching in sheer awe and horror. Her white blouse was tucked into her navy colored skirt, although small, nearly invisible, ink spots covered the front of said skirt.

Then, it hit him like the wall had collapsed on top of him. Memories flooded back as the demon fell to the ground gripping the flooring beneath him.

A man with a brief case, drawings spilling out. A secret told, a secret kept. The ink machine. Falling into the ink before the darkness had taken over. Joey Drew…

Bendy howled with anger. Joey had created him from the human soul of Emily Browning.

Emily was now Bendy.

And she would get her revenge in time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos? Comments?


	13. Chapter 12: Allison Angel and Tom Boris

Years passed slowly in the darkness. Rumors among the creatures in the darkness spread about the demon who now wandered the lone halls, who was much more dangerous than he first appeared.

Any who attempted to stand in his way were eliminated on the spot, and those who witnessed it took their chances on level nine. It was known the creature never strayed to level nine or below, and the angel never strayed above level nine, as was the agreement between the two of them.

Emily, now Bendy, was on the constant look out for any others that would be at the mercy of the angel. He didn’t trust Susie Angel anymore than he trusted his anger, which sprouted from the hatred for the Studio’s owner who created him and kept the souls of the employees trapped in the never-ending darkness.

The two Boris’ that were still alive, thanks to his interference with Susie Angel’s plans, were forever grateful that they had a guardian of sorts to protect them. Emily Bendy never failed to provide them with more cans of Bacon Soup as it was far too dangerous for them to venture out on their own, for fear the Angel would break her promise and travel above ground.

After all, no one could trust anyone down here.

Even so, the studio had become suspiciously quiet and Emily couldn’t help but hope that the truth about Joey had been revealed, causing the other workers to leave at once.

But, something crept along her now inky form, telling her not to hope too much.

And she soon found out why when she was traveling through the halls of the Heavenly Toys Workshop.

The demon had taken to snoozing high above the workshop, allowing herself some rest and peace away from everything. The creatures who did remember her tended to be the workshop employees and they never bothered her, as per Shawn’s orders. But even he was beginning to lose himself to the ink and Emily knew there would be a time when she would have to strike fear into his heart once his memories had been lost forever as hers had been when she had first awoken as Bendy.

It was on one such occasion that a loud shriek awoke the demon from it’s light doze. It rolled over to looked down from the railing and discovered the cause.

It seemed Alice Angel had made her way above level nine and had gotten her self into trouble with not only the ink coated workshop employees, but also the Butcher Gang, who were villainous villains from the original Bendy cartoons. Something was off about this Alice Angel, she wasn’t the same as the one below level nine…

She was a bit taller than Susie, and she was… _perfect_. Not a scratch on her person or dripping in ink like the other.

Using the soul-searching eye, Emily Bendy allowed the soul to come into focus. The soul who followed this Alice Angel had long black hair with dark eyes. She also wore a long deep purple skirt that swayed with her movements and a white short-sleeved blouse. Gold bracelets hung from one wrist, jingling with her movements.

Recognition kicked in as the soul and Alice Angel’s face looked up to stare at the demon. Allison… Allison Pendle who had replaced Susie as the voice of Alice Angel after the fallout between her and Joey.

Well, it seemed it was time to make the demon’s presence known.

The demon’s aura, taking form of the black ink webbing, formed on the walls. Some of the creatures upon sensing it, realized the demon was awake ad that it was coming. Those creatures vanished while the others, who weren’t aware of the real reason why their comrades vanished, continued to go for Allison.

They soon discovered the reason far too late as claws appeared, swiping and slicing them in half.

They shrieked and shouted as the ink demon made its appearance, standing in front of Allison Angel in a protector stance. One of the clones, a Charley clone, foolishly thought it could take on the demon. It should’ve thought twice as a clawed glove was shoved through it’s inky chest, spilling blood and ink onto the already soiled flooring.

The demon pulled its claws away as the clone vanished. The others scrammed, realizing that this was the demon that ruled these parts of the Studio.

The angel had fallen to the ground, shivering and shaking. She watched in sheer horror as the demon turned to face her, it’s features softening at seeing her fear.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” the voice of the demon gurgled, offering a hand out to help her to her feet.

The angel was taken back. Bendy never spoke in the cartoons, how was he able to speak?

“B-Bendy? Is that really you?”

“Yep,” the demon pulled on it’s signature little devil darling smile, “Don’t worry. Those creatures won’t come back, nor will they harm you.”

Allison took the demon’s hand, standing. He was so much taller than he should’ve been, “How… why did they leave?”

“They know I rule these parts of the Studio, anything below is the Angel’s domain.”

“The Angel’s?”

A loud howl erupted in the workshop. The demon let out a low growl before taking off down the hall, Allison on his heels.

***

Allison had stopped short of Bendy upon arriving in the main entry way of Level K. She watched in horror as another Alice Angel was pulling a helpless Boris into the elevator shaft. The wolf’s legs were bound, and his arms were tied behind his back as the angel pulled on his overall straps, trying to get him into the elevator.

“Cease your pitful howls, you dumb mutt!” Susie Angel hissed, “Or do you want the demon to find you?”

Allison felt Bendy place a clawed hand on her shoulder, as he leaned in her ear and whispered, “I’ll take care of the angel, you get the wolf.”

Allison nodded, thankful that the demon needed her assistance.

The demon vanished into the flooring as Allison Angel crept down the stairs, moving slowly toward where the other Alice and Boris were.

Susie Angel was too busy trying to pull the Wolf in the elevator that she didn’t even notice until to late that the elevator doors had slammed shut. She turned and discovered Bendy leaning against the elevator control that she realized that she was in trouble.

“Pleasure seeing you again, Susie,” the demon growled at her.

“Susie? It’s Alice,” the angel spoke, trying to hide the wolf behind her.

Allison crept forward again and approached the wolf, who whimpered at seeing a second Angel. Allison pressed a finger to her lips before going to unknot the wolf’s binding.

Upon hearing the wolf’s whimper, the demon glared, raising to full six feet, “What are you doing up here, Alice?”

“I-I… I was… gathering tools.”

The one side Susie Angel could see of the demon had it’s eyebrow raise, “Tools? You would consider Boris a tool?!”

A clawed hand reached out and grabbed the angel by the throat, lifting her up to be eye level with him.

“Consider this a warning,” Bendy’s voice grurgled with a growl, venom clear in the threat, “If you ever touch another Boris in _my_ territory again, I will personally undo what you wanted done.”

He released the angel before resting his arm against the switch again, opening the doors to the elevator.

It was here that Susie had turned around and discovered another Alice Angel helping Boris to his feet, one arm around his waist and the other hold his arm around her neck.

“Who are you!?!” she suddenly shrieked, “And what are doing with my Boris!?!”

Allison and Boris couldn’t move. They were trapped.

Before Susie Angel could pounce, Bendy grabbed her by the back of her dress.

“Allison, get Boris out of here,” the demon growled, “I will not let you two see this.”

Once Allison had gotten Boris up the stairs and out of sight, Bendy released Alice, before gripping her cheeks and holding her captive in his grasp.

“Now you will pay.”

The ink webbing grew thinker and the thumping grew louder as the demon’s ink fell upon half of the angel’s completed face. Screams filled the silence of the studio as sizzling followed soon after.

The smell of burnt flesh and ink filled the entryway and into the Workshop.

Any creature ducked and covered themselves as only silence followed soon afterwards.


	14. Chapter 13: Last Confrontation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A final confrontation between Emily Bendy and Joey Drew, and in which he reveals his true intentions with the machine (in a way).

Joey Drew sat in his wheelchair before the ink machine, his body riddled with sickness.

The cancer that had flowed through his system had taken most of his ability to walk, confining him to the chair.

If only he had found Henry.

Black webbing appeared, covering the flooring and walls. Hoof steps pounded the floor as Joey gripped the arms of his wheelchair. He turned to see a familiar figure standing behind him, watching him with anger in one of his pie-cut eyes.

“Bendy…” the studio owner smiled, “What a nice surprise.”

“Shut up, Joey,” the demon gurgled, “I need to talk to you.”

“I’m surprised…” the man turned away, smiling wickedly.

The demon came around, standing in front of his creator and destroyer. The man looked frail, even though he was still so young. The demon growled, not allowing the man to get any sympathy from him.

He knew that Joey was responsible for the disappearances of the studio employees as well as the deaths of the maintenance staff, thanks to Susie Angel. He had destroyed Henry’s dream for the company as well as his own in the process.

He crouched before him, gurgling out, “You… destroyed lives, Joey. You took my life, Allison’s, Thomas’… you destroyed our happiness for your own gain.”

Joey nodded in agreement, “I had no choice… Emily.”

The demon looked shocked at hearing the true name come from the creator’s lips.

Joey smiled a half grin, “I know it’s you under all that ink, Em. I was trying to save the company, the studio, by creating perfect toons.”

“By spending more money on something we clearly didn’t need?” the ink demon growled.

A book was thrusted into the demon’s grasp. The creature looked at it, reading the title lowly, “The Illusion of Living.”

“I suggest you read it before attempting anything on my life,” Joey smiled before laughing.

He continued his wicked laughter as the demon vanished into a puddle of ink.

***

In the new safehouse, the demon was looking through the book, fear written on it’s face.

Allison, who along with Tom Boris, had taken up residence in the safe house with Wally shortly after their encounter with Susie Angel, watched as the demon seemed to be lost in thought.

“Bendy… are you alright?”

The demon turned his head to look at his friends before turning his attention back to the book in his hands, grunting.

Wally looked worried, continuing to shuffle his cards as Tom tapped his newly acquired appendage on the table. His arm had been destroyed in the scuffle with Susie Angel, which caused the demon to use his own poisonous ink to remove the arm before reapplying a substitute. Mechanical, but it worked none the less.

The demon slammed the book shut before growling, “No one is to touch that machine, or any others that look like it.”

Allison jumped, suddenly fearful, “What do you mean?”

“There are multiples around the studio,” Bendy began, “and they all contain the same power as the one that resides above our heads now. It is dangerous, as you know, but it might be more deadly than I first thought.”

The demon scraped his claws against the wood of the table before turning and leaving.

He felt there would be a change. That both creators would return, and only one could prevail over the other.

Perhaps Sammy was right…

He would set them free…


	15. Epilogue

Henry opened his eyes to find himself in a small bedroom, much like in Boris’ safe house on level K. A hammock hung in a corner of the room while another mattress sat beneath it. Pillows and blankets covered both while a simple pillow rested on his cot.

Sitting up, a dull throb hit the back of his head. He reached back and rubbed it, feeling a slight bump. Maybe from one too many adventures falling perhaps.

He stood carefully, his knees cracking as well as his spine and arms. He shifted slightly before heading toward the doorway, stopping at the sound of voices.

“What are we going to do, Bendy? You know that the… _other_ ink demon is after Henry for something,” a deep feminine voice spoke.

“And we can’t keep him hidden away as you’ve done to us. They will find us eventually, they did with Wally,” another voice piped up, this one deeper and masculine.

There was a pause before a deep gargling voice answered the first two.

“You’re right. The only way for Henry to get out of here in one piece is by eliminating either the ink demon or the ink machine… but how?”

Henry shifted causing the boards to creak under his feet. The gargling voice spoke, louder and clearer than when it first spoke, “Come on out, Henry. You’re safe for now.”

As the elder man stepped from the shadows, he found himself standing before three figures.

The first of the figures was a petite woman in a black dress, black combat boots, and a belt strapped to her chest and her waist. A sword hung at her side, dripping with fresh ink. Her black hair was pulled back by a hair tie while two white horns, filed slightly, protruded from the side of her head. Henry remembered seeing her in the haunted house where the other Alice Angel had attempted to kill him.

The other figure had a wolf-ish appearance, with black and white fur covering him from head to toe. He wore a set of white overalls, covered in ink as well, with a black belt strapped across his thin chest. A mechanical arm rested at his side, gripping a Gent wrench firmly in the mechanical hand. Henry remembered seeing him as well, standing next to this Alice Angel.

The final figure was one he had seen far too many times to count or cared to see. The creature towered over the other two, standing on ink-covered goat legs. Ink continued to drip down its long torso and lashing demon tail. Two large black horns protruded from its head. However, what made this creature different from the ink demon he encountered, other than the spidery ink that wasn’t covering the walls at the moment, was that half of it’s face was seen. A black pie-cut eye was watching Henry’s movements and the typical grin of the ink demon was gone, replaced by a simple… _human_ mouth.

The demon then grinned, the old fashioned grin that Henry used to draw on him, “Welcome home, boss.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy... I still can't believe it took me this long to finish this... and with two days to spare!
> 
> So, this does conclude the Assistant. I may go back and fix a few things up here and there as it was (sort of) rushed. **I really just wanted to finish it before Chapter 5 of Bendy and the Ink Machine came out, which will become available on Stream this Friday (Oct. 26th)!**
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it. As promised, I do plan a sequel to this, which will be written once I play through Chapter 5 after it's release.
> 
> And remember... HE will set us free...

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and Kudos welcomed!


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